Blog

Villa Providencia

Origins

Dr. Ross Porter and his wife Jennifer founded Stillpoint Family Resources in 1998, as an offering of gratitude for the gift of their son John Michael, who is blessed with Down syndrome. Stillpoint has, from the beginning, been about 'changing lives, strengthening families, and shaping culture' by offering psychological counseling and educational materials (workshops, seminars, blogs, and books) that celebrate life in all its beautiful diversity.

The home with heart

The final piece to Stillpoint's mission is Villa Providencia---the name reflecting our reliance on God's proactive, loving care, and our embracing the opportunity to BE that care in a hurting world. At Villa Providencia, special needs people and typically-developing people will live together in a unique, stable, and collaborative community of respect, learning, and nurturance. At Villa Providencia, our residents will be cared for emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Our values and approach are grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition, but persons of any faith---or no faith---are welcomed at Villa Providencia.

The spiritual need

To this present 'culture of death' that is increasingly likely to view human beings as economic units, to the profound degradation of dignity of both the individual and society, Villa Providencia stands as a joyful response. Placed in the heart of a typical San Fernando Valley residential community, Villa Providencia will mainstream in a most natural way. Our residents will shop at local markets, attend local sporting events, worship at local churches and synagogues, and dine at local restaurants---living testimonies to the beauty of every life!

The coming crisis

Although not our primary reason for existence, it is important to point out that here is a very real State-wide crisis that threatens services to special needs people. Over 8 billion dollars of funding for special needs people has been cut from the State's budget in the past 10 years. Additionally, reimbursement rates for caregivers and service providers have been frozen since 1996, while at the same time the cost of living across the state has increased. According to the governor’s own Department of Developmental Services, nearly 25,000 state and local support and service providers in California have closed since 2011. At this rate, there will be no providers supporting children with special needs and disabilities in the state by 2025. We at Stillpoint have committed to offering not just a place for special needs people to live, but a home where they can be celebrated and empowered. Villa Providencia also offers a philosophy and a model that can be replicated in other communities throughout the country.

Vision

We envision a home where special needs adults are nurtured in mind, body, and spirit, and enabled to teach the typically developing community about what is eternally significant and beautiful.